Aug. 11, 1959
President Dwight D. Eisenhower, following an act of Congress in 1956 establishing a 2,040-acre park, officially proclaimed the Horseshoe Bend National Military Park in Tallapoosa County. Eisenhower and Congress acted to preserve the site of the battle between the U.S. and Creek Indian nation on a bend in the Tallapoosa River. It was the final conflict in the Creek War of 1813-14, marking Gen. Andrew Jackson’s soldiers defeat of the Red Sticks, led by Chief Menawa. The vision for the national park came out of Alabama Power President Tom Martin’s decision to forego building a dam at Horseshoe Bend and instead donate the land to the federal government. Martin organized an association, serving as chairman, that worked with Alabama’s congressional delegation to draft legislation for the park.
Read more at Encyclopedia of Alabama.
Horseshoe Bend National Military Park, Daviston, AL. (Alabama NewsCenter)
Battle of Horseshoe Bend (Tohopeka), Creek War, present-day southern Alabama. (The New York Public Library, Wikipedia)
Historic aerial view of the Horseshoe Bend National Military Park. (Alabama Power Company Archives)
Historic Horseshoe Bend map denoting the location of the monument dedicated in 1914. (Alabama Power Company Archives)
A monument at Horseshoe Bend National Military Park in Tallapoosa County tells the story Gen. Andrew Jackson’s defeat of the Red Stick Creeks during the last battle of the Creek War of 1813-14. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, Alabama Tourism Department)
Horseshoe Bend National Military Park. (Alabama NewsCenter)
The Visitor Center at the Horseshoe Bend National Military Park in Tallapoosa County was dedicated in March 1964. The center contains exhibits on the history of the park, Creek and Cherokee culture, and the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, Alabama Tourism Department)
Visitor Center Museum, Horseshoe Bend National Military Park. (Alabama NewsCenter)
Tour Road at Horseshoe Bend National Military Park. (Alabama NewsCenter)
Fall foliage along the Tallapoosa River, Horseshoe Bend National Military Park. (Alabama NewsCenter)
For more on Alabama’s Bicentennial, visit Alabama 200.
